Print Magazine
Brussels Morning Newspaper
Sunday, June 26, 2022
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
No Result
View All Result
Home EU Institutions

EU Ombudsman unveils 4-year strategy amid transparency woes

Marta Pacheco by Marta Pacheco
26 January 2021
in EU Institutions
EU Ombudsman unveils 4-year strategy amid transparency woes

The Statue of Justice symbol

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Brussels (Brussels Morning) The EU Ombudsman —official EU watchdog — released its four-year strategy today, a few days after its chief Emily O’Reilly criticised “the lack of transparency” in the European Council.

The rebuke was made public in an interview given to Investigate-Europe, on 2 December, when O’Reilly said “the Council should record the member states’ position” whenever EU draft laws are negotiated.

“The Council still sees itself as a group of diplomats, working in a diplomatic sphere, with confidentiality. Even though it is technically, legally, in every way, a legislative body”, said the EU Ombudsman’s chief.

This lack of transparency leads to a number of vulnerabilities, including a lack of citizen participation and the potential for undue lobbying influence, reads the strategy.

The EU Ombudsman said it recognises the EU administration has, in general, “higher standards” of administration, ethics and transparency, “when compared to other global actors and even many member states.”

Ombudsman’s goals

Through its four-year plan, the EU watchdog proposes to have a lasting impact on the EU administration, ensuring real-life relevance to European citizens. 

The increased safety of medicines authorised in the EU and transparency in the negotiations between the EU and the US on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) deal are some of the public interest cases hailed as flagships by O’Reilly over the past four years.

The EU Ombudsman has also been active in curbing revolving doors. In February last year, the EU’s watchdog remitted a decision to the European Commission where it listed a number of technical suggestions for improvement. 

Other proposals from the EU watchdog for the years to come include boosting awareness about their work and increasing efficiency on its investigations.

COVID-19 as an amplifier

Adding to the existing challenges, O’Reilly considers that the pandemic has increased citizens’ concerns and fears amid strained public budgets, causing “major implications for public administrations in Europe and beyond”.

Overall, the Ombudsman says the EU administration “must become more resilient through strengthening its transparency, ethics and democratic accountability”. 

It further adds that EU institutions ought to “understand and act” on the lessons of the links between the lack of those elements and the rise of Euroscepticism. 

O’Reilly’s office investigates complaints about maladministration and examines broader systemic issues with the EU institutions, opening approximately 300 investigations per year.

Tags: Brussels LatestEU OmbudsmanMain-Sliderstrategytransparency

Latest post

Mont,De,Marsan,Landes,France,05,17,2019,Eurofighter,Typhoon

German MTU hopes for new contracts in Luftwaffe overhaul

1 day ago
Flags,Of,Moldova,European,Union,And,Ukraine

Supporting Moldova means supporting stability in Ukraine

2 days ago

Most Read

  • These are the 10 highest paying jobs in the Europe in 2022

    These are the 10 highest paying jobs in the Europe in 2022

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • What Are The Highest Paying Jobs In Luxembourg?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Energy Recovery Fund

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • What Are The Highest Paying Jobs In Finland?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • A taste of Croatian flavors of the diplomacy in Brussels

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Facebook Twitter Youtube LinkedIn

About Us

Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.

Category

  • Ambassador’s Corner
  • Belgium News
  • Brussels
  • Commission
  • Council
  • Culture and Society
  • Diplomacy
  • Economy
  • EU Institutions
  • Europe
  • Europe With Transparency
  • Features
  • In Depth
  • Member States
  • Middle East Eye
  • Opinion
  • Our pick
  • Parliament
  • Place de la Bourse
  • Southeast Europe
  • Sustainable Perspective
  • The American Angle
  • The Macro-Economist
  • Uncategorised
  • US Elections
  • World

More info

  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Cookies Policy
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Jobs

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Us
  • EU Institutions
    • Parliament
    • Commission
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Member States
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • The American Angle
    • Southeast Europe
  • Print Magazine

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT